Qi Condensation Layer 5

Seeing the three of them leave, Lin Chen hurried back to his room.

The Rabbit Doll was still on the table.

His eyes swept over the table, and he noticed that one corner looked as if something had gnawed on it.

The bite marks were still clearly visible.

He rushed over and picked up the palm-sized Rabbit Doll.

"It's clearly made of cloth! Could it really come to life?"

He looked down at the corner of the table. "This probably isn't an ordinary doll."

Lin Chen hurried to the Kitchen. There was meat and vegetables there, so he simply left the doll there.

He watched it for a long while, but nothing changed. Only then did he turn and return to his room.

He took the Storage Ring his senior brother had given him from his robe and slipped it onto his finger.

He looked it over, then grinned.

This was an essential cultivation treasure. Plenty of people went their entire lives without ever laying hands on one.

At the Green Mountain Sect, it was standard issue for Inner Disciples. Outer Disciples could forget about it—even if they had the money, they couldn't buy one.

He let a drop of blood fall onto it and immediately sensed a connection with the ring.

It felt like a part of his body.

When he sent his Spiritual Sense inside, he found a vast space, a hundred meters across.

He immediately moved everything from his Storage Pouch into it.

It barely took up any space.

Among the items were a set of Top Grade Magic Tools: a sword, armor, and a protective jade pendant.

Even a Return to Origin Realm cultivator could use this set without a problem.

Ten bottles of Qi Condensation Pills.

Lin Chen had asked the system about this. In a secret realm rich with spiritual energy, taking pills and exchanging Spirit Stones for cultivation could shorten the time needed to cultivate, which also meant using fewer Spirit Stones.

In other words, maxing out all the conditions would speed up cultivation.

He had 150 Spirit Stones left over from before, and now he'd received another 1,500.

That made 1,650 in total.

A Yellow-rank Secret Realm Token.

And some basic talismans.

His senior brother had also thoughtfully prepared two sets of Inner Disciple robes for him.

They shimmered with a flowing aura; every piece was a Magic Artifact.

He just couldn't wear them yet.

"I've struck it rich overnight!"

Lin Chen was giddy with delight.

He'd thought his Five Elements Waste Spirit Root made him a nobody. Now he'd become someone everyone wanted.

Who would believe that if he told them?

Compared with the Outer and Inner Disciples, his treatment was leagues better.

Once he became the sect leader's Inner Disciple, he'd truly rise to the heavens in a single bound.

His standing in the Green Mountain Sect would shoot straight up, too.

"So, should I exchange for cultivation first, or for cultivation in the Soul Forging Art?"

Thinking of his predicament, Lin Chen immediately decided to cultivate the Soul Forging Art.

Just hearing the name told him it was meant to strengthen the soul.

With a stronger soul, perhaps he could sense—or resist—those Purple Eyes.

"System, exchange for cultivation and raise the Soul Forging Art to proficiency."

[ Ding. 1,000 Spirit Stones deducted. Exchanged for 1,000 years of cultivation. Soul Forging Art advanced to proficiency. Sea of Consciousness unlocked. Spiritual Sense can now be increased up to one hundredfold. ]

How much?

Lin Chen could hardly believe his ears.

A thousand Spirit Stones?

He nearly cursed aloud.

He'd thought he was rich and hadn't even asked the price.

He hadn't expected to spend this much in one go.

"System, you'd better explain yourself—"

Lin Chen roared inwardly.

[Host, as the saying goes, the Dao is hard to cultivate and the body hard to temper. Soul cultivation leaves a trail of corpses. The entire cultivation world agrees that the soul is the hardest thing to cultivate successfully. The slightest mistake can scatter your soul to the winds.]

"That still doesn't mean you had to charge a thousand Spirit Stones!" Lin Chen still felt he'd been ripped off.

Was it easy for him to earn Spirit Stones? He had to spend his money where it counted.

[Host, this Soul Forging Art is incomplete. Take a look at that Jade Slip. It should be the middle volume of three, with no beginning or end. Five hundred of those Spirit Stones went toward restoring it.]

Lin Chen didn't believe it and checked for himself.

He found that his Spiritual Sense really had grown much stronger.

Before, he'd needed to press the Jade Slip to his forehead to examine it.

Now, with a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, he could see everything clearly.

Just as the system had said, the Soul Forging Art in the Jade Slip differed from the version the system had exchanged and transmitted directly into his mind.

The cultivation method and path of progression in his mind were much clearer and more direct.

The Jade Slip's contents were fragmented. Unless one's soul had reached a very high level, they might not even understand it.

He thought he finally understood what the sect leader had meant.

Was this a test of his comprehension?

[Host, according to the cultivation realms of humanity, only someone in the Purple Mansion Realm can unlock their Sea of Consciousness. Such cultivators live for at least a thousand years, and reach this realm only after centuries of cultivation. Yet you've already unlocked yours.]

[To advance to Minor Achievement, you'll need 5,000 Spirit Stones. By then, your Sea of Consciousness will be stable, your Seven Souls condensed, and your soul secure against intrusion. You'll be able to resist illusions and inner demons.]

[Great Achievement requires 50,000 Spirit Stones. Your Sea of Consciousness will expand further, and your three souls will unite. You'll be able to transmit your thoughts, exert Spiritual Sense pressure, and strike with enough force to instantly scatter the souls of those at lower realms.]

Hearing the system's explanation, Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

He wondered whether reaching Minor Achievement would let him withstand the assault of those Purple Eyes.

It should be enough.

"Five thousand Spirit Stones. I'll have to count on Jin Yuanbao for all of them."

Thinking of the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of Spirit Stones he'd need in the future, Lin Chen grew anxious.

"I can't rely entirely on storybooks. I need to find another side hustle."

Lin Chen was already plotting ways to make money.

Meanwhile, in the tower behind the courtyard, Zhao Qingshan wore a complicated expression.

He had just sensed a faint ripple of Spiritual Sense coming from the courtyard.

There was no need to ask. Lin Chen had clearly succeeded in cultivating the Soul Forging Art.

To be honest, he felt somewhat guilty for giving Lin Chen that technique.

It was incomplete, after all.

But his annotations were all in there. At worst, cultivating it would take some effort; it wouldn't be terribly dangerous.

That was the main reason he'd never wanted anyone else to cultivate it.

But Lin Chen was different.

The boy's comprehension was so astonishing that he could grasp anything he got his hands on in no time.

Except that his cultivation advanced slowly... Bah, bah, bah! It wasn't slow at all.

Now Zhao Qingshan even wondered whether something had gone wrong with the Spirit Testing Stele.

Or perhaps Lin Chen had some hidden talent it hadn't detected.

So the Soul Forging Art was also a test.

And it turned out he'd bet right.

Lin Chen had succeeded in just over an hour.

The Spiritual Sense ripple had been faint, but Zhao Qingshan could tell for certain that Lin Chen had reached the entry level.

The realization left Zhao Qingshan utterly stunned.

His eyes were wide as bells.

When he had cultivated it, he was already in the Purple Mansion Realm, and it had still taken him three years to find his way in.

Lin Chen had done it in an hour...

Good heavens!

Zhao Qingshan grabbed his hair with both hands and tugged hard.

Then he burst into wild laughter.

Lin Chen might be a blessing for him—and an opportunity for the Green Mountain Sect, too.

They absolutely couldn't let the boy get away.

"Maybe I should officially take him on as my disciple tomorrow?"

"No, no. That would seem too rushed. Besides, I already made him a promise."

"I'll wait a little longer."

He'd been muttering to himself one moment, but the next he suddenly looked up.

A flash of shock crossed his face. "How is this possible?"

He sensed Lin Chen's cultivation aura surge upward.

A few breaths later, it surged again.

"How can anyone advance two layers in such a short time?"

Zhao Qingshan swept the area with his Spiritual Sense.

That was right—Qi Condensation Layer 5!

At last, he understood why Lin Chen had been so calm when he'd set his conditions.

Forget a year. Give him a month, and he might reach the Return to Origin Realm.

"Could this be the legendary Devouring Talent?"

Zhao Qingshan flicked a finger, sending out a stream of spiritual energy.

In an instant, it transformed into a transparent barrier that settled over Lin Chen's courtyard.

Lin Chen knew nothing about it.

All he knew was that his wallet was empty again.

He had just fifty Spirit Stones left.

Sixteen hundred Spirit Stones had gone toward restoring the Soul Forging Art and advancing it to proficiency.

His cultivation had also risen two layers, bringing him to Qi Condensation Layer 5.

At this level, he had five Qi Meridians.

His spiritual energy reserves had increased dramatically.

He should be able to fly on his sword for quite a while now.

He also had a huge advantage: since he could exchange for cultivation, he could replenish his spiritual energy the moment it ran dry.

Just thinking about it thrilled him. In a fight between two people, his spiritual energy would never run out, while his opponent's was limited.

As long as he was fast enough and nimble enough, he could hold his own even against a high-level cultivator.

He'd wear them down, even if it killed them.

"System, if I want to cultivate the Extreme Dao, do I really have to condense a separate Qi Meridian for each of the Five Elements?"

This was one thing Lin Chen couldn't decide on.

If he did, he'd effectively have to cultivate the Qi Condensation Realm five times over.

That would take a huge number of Spirit Stones and slow his progress.

[Host, you're right. And it's not only the Qi Condensation Realm. The later cultivation realms work the same way.]

[For example, the Return to Origin Realm normally involves drawing qi back to its origin and opening a Dantian Qi Sea. But you'll have to divide your Dantian Qi Sea into five regions, or open five separate Dantian Qi Seas.]

Lin Chen nearly threw up blood. Was that going to take the rest of his life?